With Godzilla rampaging through theaters all over the world several distribution companies have set their sights on bringing the previous Godzilla films into the modern age and converting them to Blu-Ray.
Sony is one of the companies to release several Godzilla films on blu. Those films, The Toho Godzilla Collection, consist of 8 Godzilla films from the Heisei and Millennium story lines. The 8 films are as followed accompanied by their imdb plot summaries:
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah –
Time travellers from the 23rd century return to 1992 to warn Japan that Godzilla will cause a catastrophic nuclear incident in the 21st century and suggest a way to rid the world of him forever. They intend to go back to 1944, to Ragos Island, where a dinosaur was exposed to radiation from the Bikini H-Bomb test and became Godzilla. Upon completion of this task, King Ghidrah appears in 1992 and the visitors’ true plan is discovered. They wish to destroy Japan so it will not become the dominant economic force. Luckily for the Japanese, Godzilla was still created and will now fight Ghidrah.
Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth –
The Earth is headed for disaster and when an archeological research team visits Infant Island to find out why, they discover two tiny women who reveal that the Earth is fighting back for all the harm humans have done here and sends out the evil Battra to destroy us. The Cosmos, as the girls are called, offer their help by calling Mothra to battle the creature. Unfortunately, Godzilla also appears and a three way battle begins that threatens to destroy Japan.
Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II –
In response to Japan’s request for a countermeasure against Godzilla, UN engineers construct Mechagodzilla, a giant robotic version of Godzilla. Nonetheless, Godzilla proves himself a force to be reckoned with against this monstrosity and battle ensues.
Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla –
When Mothra went into outer space to stop a meteor from reaching Earth, she accidentally took with cells from Godzilla and remaining cells from Biollante that inhabited our atmosphere. The combined cells went through a black hole and created a new creature, Space Godzilla. Space Godzilla heads to Earth to confront Godzilla, Junior Godzilla, and the new G-Force robot, MOGERA.
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah –
Something has destroyed Birth Island, home of Godzilla and Little Godzilla and soon, it is discovered that Godzilla has developed a bright flaming glow, indicating that his nuclear energy is growing out of control. Fearing that Godzilla will soon explode, the G-Force tries to freeze him, thus cooling his temperature. But another problem arises as a horde of human sized creatures, formed from a combination of Godzilla cells, and the weapon that destroyed the original one, The Oxygen Destroyer. Now the military must try to stop these creatures and stop Godzilla from going through a nuclear meltdown that could destroy the world.
Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
Godzilla returns to terrorize Japan! This time, however, Japan has two new weapons to defend themselves. The Gryphon, a high-tech ship, and the Dimension Tide, a device that creates artificial black holes! During a test of the Dimension Tide, eggs appear in the city of Shibuya and hatch into terrifying Meganurons! These creatures need water to grow and flood the city of Shibuya by breaking underground water veins. As they multiply and grow, they start to feed on the energy of humans. After gathering enough energy, they transform in to giant dragonfly monsters called Meganuras! And now they target Godzilla for energy to feed to the larva of their queen, which eventually hatches into the terrifying 60-meter Megaguirus who also begins to attack Godzilla for his energy. Now a 3-way battle between Godzilla, the Megaguirus, and humans begins! Will Godzilla win? Will humanity survive?
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. –
Forty-two years after her first visit in Tokyo, Mothra returns to warn mankind that they must return Mechagodzilla, along with Godzilla’s bones, to the sea, for the dead must not be disturbed. If not, dire consequences will follow. However, Godzilla is once again on the rampage, and Mechagodzilla is Japan’s only defense.
Godzilla: Final Wars –
When the aliens Xilians invade Earth, they release monsters to destroy the big cities. The Earth Defense Force formed by mutants is incapable to defeat the creatures. Commander Douglas Gordon decides to unleash Godzilla that has been trapped for many years to fight against the monsters. Godzilla becomes the last hope on Earth to vanquish the evil aliens and the powerful Gigan.
This review is strictly for the blu-ray release of the film and not the movies themselves. However, at some point in time I will review each film in the Godzilla series separately.
The Toho Godzilla Collection is a must have for any collector and fan of Godzilla. The picture quality on this release is great. Most of the scenes look amazing but we do get a few scenes that sneak in that are still a little grainy especially when compared to other blus. The packaging for this release is also amazing. The artwork looks great and so does the disc artwork. I also like how the films are double features which really allows you to get more bang for your buck. Now, for the negatives. The discs are as simple as they come. They have no special features or documentaries that I assumed would accompany the release. This is a little heartbreaking. Overall, The Toho Godzilla Collection is well worth the price. The blus look great and they will make any collection look better.
Film Quality – 4/5
Artwork – 4/5
Special Features – 2/5
